Uncle who loves badminton's profile

Gender Male
Age U40
Experience ６〜１０ years

User review

  • It's just easy to use. A racket that gives you peace of mind just having one in your bag. I use it as a backup for my ASTROX 88D. I use it when I'm tired or when I play matches focused on receiving. The weight is 4U. It's moderately head-heavy and flexes well, so smashing at 70-80% effort sends really good shots. An easy-to-use racket I recommend for anyone, regardless of age or gender. Of course it works as a main racket, and it's an all-round racket that I see many people using as a backup for the 100ZZ, 99 and 88D.

    2021/02/08
    Overall
    9/10
    Control
    9
    Touch
    10
    Swing
    9
    Operability
    9
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  • These are my thoughts after using both the ASTROX 88S and the ASTROX 88S PRO. Being 5mm shorter than today's mainstream rackets is surprisingly quick to get used to. However, people who use head-heavy rackets like others in the ASTROX series will find the timing hard to get until they adjust. People who use even-balance or head-light rackets can use it pretty much without any awkwardness in that respect. It's an ideal racket for people who want to switch from even balance or head-light to head-heavy. This is the same for both the PRO and the old version. In comparison, the PRO feels somehow "sticky." Your impression changes depending on whether you see that as good shuttle hold or poor repulsion; I'm in the latter camp, so it feels a bit less satisfying to use than the old one. Right now I'm rotating them, with the old one as my main and the PRO as my backup. I hope this helps anyone considering buying the PRO.

    2021/09/01
    Overall
    10/10
    Control
    10
    Touch
    10
    Swing
    10
    Operability
    10
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  • My recent main racket, the NANOFLARE 800
    First, the feel. Then the shaft. It's stiff.
    Rather than the swing flexing the shaft, it feels like a racket where you create the flex yourself through forearm pronation and how you squeeze the grip. You don't get the sensation of the head weight guiding you like with head-heavy rackets, so opinions will probably split there. If you use a wrist snap and hit as if flicking the shuttle away, you get an incredibly satisfying feel. There may be unit-to-unit variation, but it's close to even balance, and if you go from relaxed to a fast swing and flick it, smashes sink and have speed. This feels insanely good. Though if you miss the sweet spot, the feel is terrible...
    Honestly, I don't think it'll appeal to everyone, but people who like it get hooked to the point that they can't use anything else.
    Also, I recommend a thin, high-repulsion string. Even when you're jammed, just a light flick of the wrist lets you escape deep.
    With head-heavy rackets trending, this is one racket I hope sticks around: a racket whose selling point is repulsion like this.

    2021/08/30
    Overall
    9/10
    Control
    10
    Touch
    10
    Swing
    10
    Operability
    10
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  • I use the new red design alongside the ASTROX 77. First of all, many people describe this racket as stiff. In my experience, it's not the shaft that's stiff; it's the face (the feel) that's clearly stiffer compared to the ASTROX 77. Even strung at the same tension, it feels 1-2 lbs higher. However, the shaft flexes surprisingly well, so although it's stiff, it still sends the shuttle deep. The shaft is just a touch stiffer than the ASTROX 77, and the timing for catching the shuttle is almost the same, so I use the 88D as my main racket, and switch to the ASTROX 77 when I get tired or when I'm partnered with advanced players (when getting the shuttle back takes priority). The head weight is almost the same as the 77. I think it's probably the 88D's distinctive stiff feel that decides whether people like it or not. If you drop the string tension 1 lb below usual, or use a soft, thin string, it turns into a pretty easy-to-use racket. Its strength, the smash, drops steeply and carries. Compared to other YONEX rackets, it clearly delivers more destructive power. Many people avoid this racket, but if you work on the string tension and type, it's an easy racket to use for anyone who likes head-heavy rackets.

    2021/02/08
    Overall
    10/10
    Control
    8
    Touch
    10
    Swing
    10
    Operability
    8
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